The present invention relates to a low rise boot and an accessory training device for use with ski boots and more particularly to a device that will assist a person learning to ski in positioning his or her legs relative to the ski for proper balance and safe maneuverability.
In this field, there exists a number of proposals involving the designs of ski boots to assist learners in assuming the correct posture and leg position while skiing. However, many of the proposed designs have rendered the ski boot either uncomfortable or unsafe for wear after a user has gained some proficiency in skiing. In other designs, there has been no provision for flexibility in the training boot to accommodate a large number of persons of differing sizes and weights.
In view of the considerable expense required in the purchase of a properly fitting set of ski boots, persons desiring to learn to ski have been reluctant to invest in the purchase of a pair of training boots, not only in view of their expense, but also in view of the relatively short period of use persons obtain from such trainer boots. As a result, greater time has been required to learn the proper leg positions and such learning procedures, without suitable training boots, have increased the likelihood of injury to a novice.
The purpose of the present invention is to overcome the foregoing drawbacks by providing an adjustable low-rise boot and an accessory for a regular ski boot which will assist a learner in assuming the proper leg positions relative to the ski. The accessory is distinguished by the fact that it can be easily inserted and removed from a regular ski boot after the leg positions have been mastered. Further, the accessory device of the present invention either in a low-rise boot or in its accessory form can be adjusted to accommodate different users, thus reducing its manufacturing cost. In addition, since the accessory form of the present invention is easily inserted into a boot, and can be inexpensively manufactured, it will be useful for skiers who have abstained from skiing for a period of time and who require a short training period before returning to the sport.
In summary, the present invention provides an adjustable leg support for canting the leg of a user relative to the ski which, in the accessory embodiment, has a tongue which can be inserted between the rear portion of a regular ski boot and the user's leg. The accessory device is intended to be used with regular ski boots which have a built-in forward lean structure relative to a ski and which cover the ankle. The low-rise training boot embodiment is designed primarily for a boot shape that does not incorporate a forward lean structure and which many persons use as training boots. In both embodiments, a canting member is provided with ear portions which are pivotally secured to the upper portion of the low-rise boot, in this embodiment, and to the upper portion of the tongue member in the accessory embodiment. Between the pivot connections of the canting member, adjustable wedging means are secured so as to be movable between the lower edge of the canting member and the upper rear edge of the boot or the upper rear edge of the tongue in the accessory form. With the wedge member inserted underneath of the canting member, the canting member will assume an angular position relative to the training boot or regular ski boot which will induce the user's leg to assume the proper canted position relative to the ski. The wedging members can be adjusted to vary this angular position or can be entirely removed from between the canting member, and tongue member or upper edge of the rear boot so that the canting member will not interfere with normal walking when the training device is not in use.
The foregoing and other objects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent as consideration is given to the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which: